Luminous life-belt.



A. M. McGlFF.

LUM-INOUS LIFE BELT.

APPLICATION FILED IULYZ?. I9I5.

Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

w f @5MM fmII/IH UT 1 A IEn STATES PATENT orrrcn.

ALEXANDER M. MCGIFF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIG-NOR OF ONE-HALF TO RICHARD JAMES, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

LUMINOUS LIFE-BELT.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led July 27, 1915. Serial No. 42,182.

To all whom/it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER M. Mc- GIFF, a citizen of the United States, and a residentv of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Luminous Life-Belts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in buoyant apparatus of the types used where there is danger of people drowning, and. usually found upon vessels, wharves and the like.

One of the principal objects Yof the invention is to provide a means which may be combined with any of the lordinary types of life preserving apparatus, whereby one or more lights are displayed upon the surface of the Water, thereby indicating the position of the imperiled person, or directing attention to the locality in which the apparatus may be found.

A. second object is to provide means whereby any of the-ordinary commercial forms ofso called pocket Hash lights may be used witha container adapted to be attached to the type o f apparatus mentionedin such manner as to display the light and at the same time preventing the entrance of water to parts of the lamp whchwould be damaged by saturation.

These and other objects, which will become apparent, are attained by the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and shownA in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a general plan view of a ring type, life preserver showing the lighting means attached thereto. Fig. 2-is a partial side elevation and sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a lamp and its container drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a life belt of4 the usual type having the lighting devices applied thereto. Fig. 5 is a top view of the same. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a similar view, taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 8 is a perspective view indicating the application of a lighted ring to a person in the water.

c In Figs. 1 and 3 the life preserver is indicated by the numeral 10 and may be of any preferred type whatever, either inated or filled with a highly buoyant substance, the

casing 11 of which is preferably a textile fabric vrendered impervious to moisture or the effects of submersion. Such life preservers are usually provided with a loose belt or band 12 for convenience in being grasped by an imperiled person, the belt being held to the circular preserver by means of fastenings 13.

One or more lamps, preferably two, are applied at the front and rear, the same consisting of a lens 14 contained at the upper end of a holder 15 which may be either cylindrical or oval in cross section as preferred. These holders are provided with a switch 16, the operation of which causes the light to show through the lens.

Surrounding the holder is an impervious sack or pocket 17, which may preferably be constructed of rubber, provided with an elastic beaded mouth 18 adapted to be tightly fitted around the lamp holder 15 below thelens 14 in such manner that water may not pass between the mouth of the pocket and the sides of the flask, the pocket being loose with respect to the body of the holder an open space being formed therebetween, allowing of sufficient freedom so that the switch 16 may be operated. Also on the sides of the pocket are formed loops 19, the same acting as securing means for straps 20 provided with buckles and tongues,

22 and 23 respectively, the straps being of such length as to allow them to be clasped around the body of the apparatus and firmly secured.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are shown a common form of life belt usually' made of blocks of cork 25, the same being held in a canvas casing 26, the cork blocks standing vertical and hingedly connected one to another by portions of the canvas strips which extend the entire length of the belt. This form of life preserver is usually secured to a person by means of straps 28 secured by tongue and buckle or other approved means 4of fastening. On the upper edge of the belts are provided the usual loops 29 through which the arm of the wearer may be entered thereby keeping the life preserver in its proper position. Electric lamps having lenses as before described, here shown to be elliptical in cross section, are securedby means of bands 30 passed around-the lamp holders 17 in such manner that the switch 16 may be operated as before explained. Thus it will be seen that a person in the water, even in the dark, may readily be discovered by reason of the lights which obviously can be arranged to show forth rendering it easily possible to ascertain the exact position of the wearer and hence materially assisting in his recovery.

It will further be obviousthat the lamps may be so constructed that in case it is desirable to throw overboard any type of buoyant life preserver, that the lights may be switched on immediately before casting on the water so that a person in danger of drowning could far more readily see their posit-ion than as though the lights were nonexistant. Therefore it is believed that a direct advance in life saving apparatus is herein disclosed.

From the foregoing it will be evident that minor modifications may be made from the exact construction shown without departing from the scope of claims hereto appended.

Having thus described the invention and indicated the manner of its application and use what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a life preserver, the combination with a buoyant body adapted to be disposed about a person, of one or more flexible sockets detachably secured to said buoyant body; electric lamps secured in said sockets, means for preventing the entrance of water to said lamp and means for lighting said lamp prior to immersion by pressure applied through said sockets.

2. In a device of the kind described, the combination with lan electric lamp, an impervious casing surrounding said lamp, means for tightly engaging said casing to the lamp body below the lens thereof, and means of securing said casing to a life preserver.

3. In a device of the kind described,'the

` combination with an electric flash lamp having an operating switch combined with the body thereof, of an impervious flexible casing suited to the body of said lamp, means for preventing the entrance of water to said lamp upon immersion, said casing permitting the operation of the mentioned switch, land means for detachably securing said casing to a buoyant life preserver.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALEXANDER M. MGGIFF. 

